Category Archives: populism

Red States Face Political Rumblings in Wake of Teacher Strikes

Posted on June 21, 2018 by politicaloptic

This spring, Republican governors and legislatures across the country faced major backlash from teachers protesting the neglect and defunding of public education. Work stoppages, teacher marches, and other demonstrations of populist anger appeared in the reddest of red states, notably … Continue reading →

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How Democracies Die

Posted on March 30, 2018 by politicaloptic

How Democracies Die (2018), a book by two Harvard political scientists, is a sober view of liberal democracy’s vulnerability in today’s world. The book has achieved attention for focusing on the troubling political forces now at work in the United … Continue reading →

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Plutocrats Climb onto the Trump Train

Posted on February 28, 2018 by politicaloptic

The Koch brothers and their network of donors, gathering at Charles Koch’s exclusive California retreat this January, declared 2017 to be their “most productive year yet.” The event came several weeks after the passing of Trump’s tax-cut legislation, viewed by … Continue reading →

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The Trump-Republican Tax Cut: What Were They Thinking?

Posted on December 25, 2017 by politicaloptic

As a mental exercise, let’s ask the following question: what if Trump and the Republicans, instead of tilting their tax-cut legislation heavily towards corporations and the rich, had come up with a bill that truly favored white middle class voters, … Continue reading →

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Trump-Nixon Parallels: Is History Repeating Itself?

Posted on May 25, 2017 by politicaloptic

In the unfolding inquiry into the Trump campaign’s Russian connections, one can’t help but see Trump-Nixon parallels. Trump’s firing of James Comey in the middle of an ongoing investigation bears obvious similarities with Nixon’s firing of Watergate investigator Archibald Cox. Not only do we … Continue reading →

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Populism and Donald Trump

Posted on August 30, 2016 by politicaloptic

Historically, the term populism described a movement of farmers and workers formed in the 1890s to counter America’s corporate monopolies. Its purpose was to put a leash on unbridled economic power. Spurred on by the anger of common people, the movement spelled out a clear … Continue reading →

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The Republican Party Will Never Be the Same after Trump

Posted on May 30, 2016 by politicaloptic

It will be a while before Republicans truly come to grips with a Trump-dominated party. So far leaders are trying to view his upcoming nomination in the old manner, still convinced he can fit a recognizably Republican mold. RNC Chairman Priebus is bravely … Continue reading →

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“Telling Like It Is,” Trump Comes Back to Punish the GOP Establishment

Posted on February 26, 2016 by politicaloptic

The “tell it like it is” tactic, so brilliantly portrayed in Donald Trump’s current campaign, has long been used as a forceful way of connecting with the voter. On the face of it, it is a form of plain-speaking, where the speaker says things … Continue reading →

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What Trump Hath Wrought: Mobs versus Elites in the GOP

Posted on December 26, 2015 by politicaloptic

The Republican higher-ups can hardly contain their horror and dismay. Enfant terrible Donald Trump, by embracing chauvinistic populism and garnering popular support in the race for the GOP nomination, has thrown “their” party into chaos. He has sucked up the available oxygen and left his … Continue reading →

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